New research to gauge building safety progress

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has launched in-depth research to measure how well the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) sector is adapting to the new building safety regime.

The research, which is being carried out in partnership with the construction analysts Barbour ABI, comes at a critical time with the government having stripped the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) of responsibility for enforcement of the Building Safety Act.

Extensive planning delays and a shortage of qualified assessors led to the creation of a new “fast track process” under the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MCHLG) headed up by two former senior fire chiefs.

A Freedom of Information request by cost consultant Cast also revealed that just 10.8% of Gateway 2 new project applications had been approved.

These developments and BESA’s research follow further traumatic revelations in a new Netflix documentary about the Grenfell Tower disaster which led to the creation of the Act. Grenfell: Uncovered refocused public attention on unsafe buildings and thrust the weakness of UK building regulations into the spotlight.

This is the second annual building safety survey carried out by BESA. It is aimed at companies of all sizes from right across the building engineering spectrum to assess levels of awareness and understanding of legal responsibilities and the implications for individual competence and organisational capability.

The Association said the findings would help to shape “practical support, clear guidance, and targeted interventions to drive industry-wide improvement”.

“We want to find out what is preventing organisations from adopting the requirements of the legislation,” said BESA’s director of specialist knowledge Rachel Davidson. “Levels of awareness and understanding of the Act have improved in the past 12 months, but it is a far from consistent picture.

“We are seeing very big variations by role and type of organisation. Those with greater understanding, particularly of individual competence and organisational capability, are more likely to have taken steps to comply with the Act,” she added.

The research will segment understanding by role and business type, measure ‘real world’ changes in behaviour and business practices, and capture reasons for inaction to guide future education and policy support.

“Where action has not been taken, it is often due to a lack of clarity, guidance, or support. Identifying these barriers will inform targeted interventions to improve industry-wide compliance,” said Davidson.

The research also includes questions requested by Jon Vanstone, chair of the Industry Competence Committee (ICC) which advises the Building Safety Regulator.

“BESA’s research comes at an important time because pressure is building to get more projects through planning gateways,” he said. “However, this also raises the stakes around competence and compliance because the industry will still need to meet rigorous safety standards as workloads increase.

“Therefore, any findings that help us understand why companies might be struggling to meet the requirements will be incredibly helpful in shaping our advice to the regulator,” added Vanstone.

BESA believes the findings will take on even greater significance because the government has pledged to speed up the planning process by employing 100 new specialists. This is partly motivated by the impact the delays were having on its aim to deliver 1.5 million new homes during this parliament.

Building safety minister Alex Norris said: “We’re enhancing operations, reducing delays, and unlocking the homes this country desperately needs – while keeping safety front and centre.”

BESA chief executive officer David Frise added that it was important for everyone to remember why the legislation exists and the importance of the new checks and balances in the planning process.

“The Netflix documentary was a timely reminder to anyone involved in a building project that every decision they make has a consequence. If you are making a change to a design (possibly for very valid reasons) what impact will that have, ultimately, on the people who inhabit that building?” he said.

“The research we are launching aims to understand why so many companies and individuals are still not changing their behaviour because, ultimately, this has to be about doing the right thing – even when no-one is looking.”

To take part in the research use this link.